In Passing
by Ricky the King
Summary: Years after the defeat of the Kishin Asura, life has returned to normal as it always does. Now a young single father, Soul Evans runs into Death the Kid while taking his daughter out, and all of a sudden, things aren't normal anymore.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The last note of the song on the piano rang out through the nearly-empty house.

Soul lowered his hands, placing them down on either side of him. In his lap, a tiny red-haired girl with her hair done in pigtails ran her fingers over the same keys her father just had, a bright smile on her face. Soul's tired eyes rolled down to look at his daughter.

"That was real good Daddy," the little girl giggled. "Can we do it again?"

Soul chuckled softly. "I think it's about time you got to bed. We've got a big day tomorrow, after all." He lifted the girl from his lap and stood up, pulling her into his arms and giving her an affectionate nuzzle. "You remember what tomorrow is, right?"

"It's my birthday!" She squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tight. "Will I get lots of presents?"

"That's a secret, little Spirit," Soul replied, tapping his daughter's nose with a finger. "You know your Daddy is gonna keep it all under _wraps_."

"No-o, not a pun," Spirit laughed, wriggling about in her father's arms. Soul set her down, and she gripped onto his comparably giant hand. She yawned widely, and Soul rubbed her head. "But I don't wanna go to bed, Daddy. I'm not sleepy."

"Yes you are," Soul countered, starting to guide the little girl back to her bedroom. "Plus, it's way past your bedtime. I already let you stay up late." He lifted her up again and put her into her bed, pulling back the covers and tucking her under them. "What do you say to your coolest Daddy?"

Spirit yawned again, before leaning up to peck her father on the cheek. "You _are_ the coolest. I love you, Daddy."

"Love you too, little Spirit," Soul smiled, leaning down to kiss her back on the cheek. "You sleep good, okay? I'll be sure to wake you up real early. How's five sound?"

"That's too early, Daddy," Spirit said candidly, giving a final big yawn.

Soul laughed. "Yeah. You're right. Eight, then." He walked to the door of the bedroom, putting one hand on it and pausing. "Spirit... about your Mommy coming..."

"It's okay, Daddy. I know." Spirit smiled, but there was a hidden sadness behind it.

"...Right. G'night, sweetie."

Soul turned off the light and shut the door behind him, not looking back, for fear his daughter might see the tears in his eyes.

* * *

hey guess who's back into soul eater after being out of the fandom for 50 years? this guy! anyway enjoy this soul/kid fic i've been thinking on it for a while so it's gonna be a long one  
and yes his daughter's name is Spirit so you can guess who her momma is


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Soul never used to be an early riser, but he got up at 7:30 that morning to prepare for his daughter's birthday. He remembered many a time when he'd woken up on the weekends at noon or later, and also many a time when he would've missed class had it not been for Maka.

 _Maka._ Something still stirred within the weapon's soul when he thought of the girl – well, the woman now – who had mothered his child. Even though things hadn't worked out between them, Soul couldn't dismiss the feelings he still had for the meister. They were no longer romantic feelings, but he wasn't cold towards Maka. They had shared custody, after all. It would do him no favors to be bitter towards his ex-girlfriend.

Now, Maka, on the other hand, was still very much upset. It had been Soul who had broken off the relationship to begin with, and in a way, Maka had seen the action as a way of abandoning her. Needless to say, Soul and Maka no longer had the best of relationships, and were really only together when transferring custody of Spirit or when they'd been assigned to a mission.

That was one of the reasons Maka would not be there today. It was as though the sight of Soul was enough to make her upset. But it had been six years now, and the two of them were adults. When she was seventeen and pregnant, Soul might've understood, but now they were twenty-three and life had to move on. They had been young, dumb, and in love. The result was a little girl who bore her grandfather's name, but even she had not been enough to keep them together.

Caught up in his thoughts, Soul barely noticed the pitter-patter of little feet until the owner of said feet was tugging on his shirt.

"Daddy?"

Suddenly shocked out of his trance, Soul glanced down at Spirit and smiled, ruffling her hair playfully. "Hey, kiddo. Ready for your big day?"

"Uh-huh!" Spirit nodded, hugging her father's leg. "Can I have all my presents now?"

Soul chuckled. "Not _all_ of them yet, sweetheart. You still have your party, remember? All of your friends are gonna be there, and you'll get a whole bunch from them." He leaned down to pick her up, hoisting her up easily with one well-muscled arm and holding her at his hip. "But we're gonna go somewhere special today, okay?"

Spirit nodded again. "Uh-huh!"

They ate breakfast together as they always did whenever they were together, and then Soul helped Spirit pick from her two favorite dresses to wear out. As soon as they were done, they left the tiny house and started walking down the street towards Spirit's favorite ice cream parlor. It was close enough to walk to, and Soul let Spirit skip ahead of him a bit, smiling as he heard her humming the melody from the night before.

He felt lucky to have such a happy child. Despite the circumstances of her birth, Spirit managed to be upbeat. On top of it all, she had obviously inherited her mother's intelligence. Soul had no doubt that Spirit would be begging him to go to the library or the bookstore before long.

The two of them arrived at the ice cream parlor, bell on the door jingling as it opened. The kind old man who owned the place was behind the counter, cleaning it with a small rag. There was no one else in the parlor, probably because it was so early. Spirit raced up to the counter, standing on the tips of her toes and peering up at the old man.

"I'll take the usual, please!" Spirit proclaimed. Soul walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, giving the old man a crooked grin. She looked up at him. "What do you want, Daddy?"

"I think I'll get a big sundae, then you can have what I don't eat," Soul said. Spirit giggled with excitement as Soul paid for their order, and the old man started to make it.

As they were waiting, the bell on the door rang again, but neither of them paid any attention to it until a voice called out:

"Hey there, Soul. It's been a while."

Soul turned, red eyes wide in surprise.

"Kid?"


End file.
